Masters in Criminal Justice Degree Requirements

Some of the more career oriented graduate programs
in criminal justice have a number of degrees or degree concentrations from
which to choose. In some schools the Masters in Criminal Justice provides the
stepping stone to a PhD program as with many graduate degrees. However in
criminal justice there is a substantial number of students who are mid-career
law enforcement professionals who are back to school for an advanced degree
preparatory to pursuing a senior management position. For that reason there are
professional variations of the degree that provide a concentration in law
enforcement or in forensics. In some cases there are separate masters programs for these fields.

Traditional Masters in Criminal Justice
Requirements

Universities differentiate in a variety of ways
between the traditional, academically oriented Masters in Criminal Justice and
the career-oriented graduate program in criminal justice designed for law
enforcement personnel. Virginia Commonwealth University offers an extensive,
fifteen credit graduate certificate program for mid career law enforcement
personnel. The full scale Master of Criminal Justice degree requires 36 credit
hours of classroom work and a comprehensive exam at the completion of the
coursework. Courses include Comparative Criminal Justice
Systems, Research Basis of Criminal Justice, Criminology, and a Seminar in
Legal Processes.

Masters in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement
Management Requirements

In the late 1960s the federal government introduced
a funding program designed to promote the development of formal education
programs for law enforcement personnel. Out of this effort and several pieces
of legislation came the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) which provided
student loans for officers willing to attend or return to college; if after
completion of the degree they rendered five years of law enforcement service
the loan was forgiven. In response to this coordinated federal effort public
universities developed undergraduate and graduate programs in criminal justice
that were designed for the law enforcement professional.

The program at California State University in
Sacramento is an example. This Master of Science in Criminal Justice requires a
baccalaureate, preferably but not necessarily in criminal justice.
There are a few academic prerequisites including a course in statistics. The
curriculum for the program is based on the philosophy that, "...The functions
of the professional criminal justice practitioner and educator are to aid the
orderly development of society, to contribute significantly to the improvement
of the quality of criminal justice services, and to advance the criminal
justice system..." The 30 credit curriculum includes Contemporary Issues in
Policing, Management of Complex Justice Organizations, and a Graduate Seminar
in Corrections.

Masters in Forensic Science
Requirements

This degree option is not readily found as a
stand-alone degree; in the schools that do offer it however the science behind
this branch of law enforcement becomes a paramount academic concern. Michigan
State University offers this degree with concentrations in Forensic
Chemistry, Forensic Biology and Forensic Anthropology. Each of these
options has a thesis requirement, and each has its own set of academic
prerequisites. In this program 32 credits are allowed for required coursework
and 6 credits applied to thesis research, writing and defense. There are few
core courses; between 17 and 25 credits are devoted to the area of
concentration. With the exception of one introductory course, the balance of
the classroom work is put to electives.

Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University (SJU) has been developing the minds and abilities of men and women in a challenging academic environment steeped in the enriching Jesuit tradition of cura personalis (care of the entire person). The strong liberal arts foundation promotes an environment of open-minded investigation and debate and attends to developing students beyond their academic accomplishments, while maintaining high academic standards. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.

Each year since 2004, The Princeton Review has included California University in its Best in the Northeast listing, recognizing Cal U as one of the best regional universities in the northeastern United States.

Ranked #35 in Best Online Graduate Education Programs by U.S. News and World Report in 2015.

Offers private school amenities at a public school cost.

Grants students in its Global Online program the same diploma as graduates from Cal U’s traditional degree programs.